42-5262
Removed the association to Thurleigh.
Object Number - FRE 1161 - The control tower at RAF Colerne. A B-17 Flying Fortress (WW-G, serial number 42-5729 later nicknamed "Buccaneer") of the 306th Bomb Group is visible...
Delivered Denver 27-Oct-42; Bury 6-Dec-42; Assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-F] Molesworth 29-Jan-43; Missing in Action Lorient 6-Mar-43. Shot down by enemy aircraft, crashed into the Bay of Biscay, off Penmarch Point. 2KIA 8POW Missing Air Crew Report 15536.
Participated in 4 Operations (1 was aborted) See Biography events for crew information.
14-Feb-43 Mission #1 - Railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany - Aborted
26-Feb-43 Mission #2 - Naval facilities and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshave, Germany
4-Mar-43 Mission #3 - Railroad marshalling yards at Rotterdam, Holland
6-Mar-43 Mission #4 LAST OPERATION - U-Boat pens at Lorient, France
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-728345
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 14064909
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner ; Flight Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 33190106
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 36315307
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-407085
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Missions
- Date: 6 March 1943
- Date: 4 March 1943
- Date: 26 February 1943
- Date: 14 February 1943
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned with Crew |
9 February 1942 | CREW B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS P 1LT Martin E. Plocher; CP 2LT Clair A. Tyler N 2LT Ellera J. Corwin; B 2LT William F. Kahlden, Jr. E/TTG SSGT Edwin L. Matheson; RO TSGT Everett E. Friese BTG SSGT Theodore G. Swanson; LWG SGT Robert L. Stevenson RWG TSGT Henry R. Legge; TG SSGT August Tornow | |
|
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 29 January 1943 | Believed to have arrived as a replacment aircraft and flown to Molesworth, UK by a Ferry Crew. |
|
Other Mission #1, B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | CREW of B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS P 1LT Martin E. Plocher (RTB); CP 2LT Kent M. Fitzsimmons (RTB) N 2LT William M. Preston (RTB); B-TOG SSGT Claude A. Hamilton (RTB) E/TTG SSGT Edwin L. Matheson (RTB); RO TSGT Everett E. Friese (RTB) BTG SSGT Theodore G. Swanson (RTB); LWG SGT Robert L. Steveson (RTB) RWG TSGT Henry R. Legge (RTB): TG SSGT August E. Tornow (RTB) |
|
Other Mission #2, B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 | CREW of B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS P 1LT Martin E. Plocher (RTB); CP 2LT Clair A Tyler (RTB) N 2LT Ellera J. Corwin (RTB); B 2LT William F. Kahlden, Jr. (RTB) E/TTG SSGT Edwin L. Matheson (RTB); RO TSGT Everett E. Friese (RTB) BTG SSGT Theodore G. Swanson (RTB); LWG SGT Robert L. Stevenson RWG TSGT Henry R. Legge (RTB); TG SSGT August E. Tornow (RTB) |
|
Other Mission #3, B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 | CREW of B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS P 1LT Lloyd D. Griffin (RTB); CP 2LT Walter S. Swanson (RTB) N 2LT William M. Preston (RTB); B 2LT Robert L. Taylor (RTB) E/TTG TSGT William M. Eason (RTB); RO TSGT Vernon E. Swartz (RTB) BTG SSGT Louis W. Rheaume (RTB); LWG SSGT Samuel L. Edwards (RTB) RWG SGT Robert L. Stevenson (RTB); TG SSGT Lynwood Wiegand (RTB) |
|
Other Mission #4, B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS |
Lorient, France | 6 April 1943 | CREW of B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS P 1LT Martin E. Plocher (POW); CP 2LT Clair A. Tyler (KIA) N 2LT Ellera J. Corwin (POW); B 1LT William F. Kahlden (POW) E/TTG TSGT Henry R. Legge (POW); RO TSGT Everett E. Friese (POW) BTG SSGT Louis W. Rheaume (POW); LWG SGT Robert L. Stevenson (KIA) RWG SSGT Edwin L. Matheson (POW); TG SSGT August E. Tornow (POW) |
|
Other Failed to Return (FTR) |
Dezert Point - L' école de surf de Pors Carn - La Torche, 171 Rue du Musée de la Préhistoire, 29760 Penmarch, France | 6 March 1943 | Attacked by German fighters and crashed near Penmarch Point, France while on a mission to Lorient, France. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Added Assigned with Crew event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, 303BG Personnel Roster: http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Correcting typo in cew list of Mission #3.
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historain, Personnel Records: http://www.303rdbg.com/ and Martin E. Plocher crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/360plocher.html
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 4-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/019.pdf
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 26-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/017.pdf
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 14-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission REport of 6-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/020.pdf
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Made connections to all missions; Added Mission History and Participation statement to Description based on 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 3-Jul-2015. Added markings, converted dates in Descritpion to military-style signification, added loss details based on "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE; Made connections to Place and Mission wihtin existing website data; Added crew position, rank, full proper name and dispostions of crew members, formatted crew display based on MACR 15536.
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 15536 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
